Former President John Mahama believes the December 7, 2024, Presidential and Parliamentary elections are the most important since 1992 and may be Ghanaians’ last chance to restore faith in constitutional rule.
He stated that Ghana is not immune to the geopolitical instability in the sub-region caused by several coups d’etats caused by perceived poor governance and corruption, which have worsened people’s living standards.
Mahama therefore stated that when the NDC returns to power in 2025, it must transform the country’s economic fortunes and create opportunities to inspire hope in constitutional governance.
“I must say that election 2024 is going to be the most critical election since 1992, or maybe in the history of our party. Because, as I said earlier, it is the last opportunity for us to restore the faith of our people in constitutional government in our country.”
He continued, “Let us not think that we are immune to what is happening in the sub-region. It cannot be business as usual, as I said a little while ago. Any new government that takes over on January 7, 2025, cannot do business as usual. We must sit up and do what our people expect of us. We must let them understand and appreciate that constitutional government can defend their interests, look after their human rights and guarantee that they can express themselves freely, but most importantly, constitutional governments are able to create the opportunity that makes them able to realise their full potential to live in dignity and prosperity.”
Mahama made these statements when addressing the closing ceremony of the 3rd annual Lawyers Conference of the NDC Lawyers Association on Saturday, via Zoom.
Despite his optimism that the next NDC administration will succeed, he did admit that it will be a challenging task given the mess the Akufo-Addo-led government created.
“It will be a difficult task, but we must all sit up and make sure we can fulfill our obligations to our people. I am convinced that the NDC will win that election”.
Mr. Mahama stated that various efforts are being made to develop policies and programmes for immediate implementation in 2025, as soon as the NDC takes office.
“We must hit the ground running. I am not going to wait until I win the election to start thinking about what to do. I know that several dedicated people under Prof. Danso Boafo’s organisation, which we call the “LAB” look at all the various sectors (governance, economy, trade, Agriculture, health, education, and tourism) and come out with concrete policies we can put into effect as soon as we have taken over to make Ghana the Ghana we want”.
He urged NDC members to be vigilant in the 2024 elections in order to secure the party’s victory.
“While we prepare to go into that election, we must be vigilant and alert, indeed more than we were in Assin North. But aside from that, we must keep an eye on what we are going to do as soon as we come to power.
He said the “legal directorate and NDC Lawyers Group are going to be critical to winning this election. One of the things you need to do is to acquaint yourself with the electoral codes and watch the process to make sure the NDC is represented properly, that you understand the electoral process, and that nothing untoward goes on in the polling stations. I believe that it is this level of sacrifice that is required of us so that we can win the election of 2024. The prospects look very good for winning 2024, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We need to be vigilant. We have an opponent who can take advantage of any list opportunity to manipulate the electoral process, and so we need to be on our feet and make sure that we prevent anything like that from happening.”
